Italy

Dating back to 1951, the Festival di Sanremo is the world’s oldest ongoing televised song festival and served as the original inspiration for the Eurovision Song Contest itself. While Sanremo is first and foremost Italy’s premier music competition, its winner is traditionally invited to represent the country at Eurovision. The festival has launched the careers of countless Italian music legends, including Laura Pausini, Eros Ramazzotti, Andrea Bocelli, and Måneskin, whose Eurovision 2021 victory propelled them to worldwide success. Winning Sanremo is widely regarded as one of the greatest achievements in Italian music.